THE CALL!

Okay, so I was going to do another blog on how to avoid being scammed, but I’m going to take a break from our regularly scheduled show to tell you about THE CALL! Yep, you read that right. A few weeks ago I received the call. Some of you already know this, but a lot of you don’t, so I thought I’d share.

Now onto the deets. My “call” was actually an email, because my story is a bit different and a bit long so I’ll cut it a bit to get to the good stuff.

Okay, so I sent off my queries to my agents via email with every intention of only hitting the ones who accepted e-queries, but I was on absolute write where I heard about a newer agent that had started her own list. To avoid confusion we’ll call her NF. Immediately I felt a little buzz and went to take a look at the site. And became disappointed. Not only did they only accept snail queries, but also they wanted the first 50 pages with it and they only respond if interested. Since money is a limited resource around my house, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to take the chance of sending it off, without even a response if they didn’t like it.

I put it off to the side as a maybe. But I just couldn’t get this agent out of my head. It was almost as bad as when I first met my husband and developed a MAJOR crush on him. This too I thought would never be reciprocated. So I decided to just go for it. I’d just get a delivery confirmation so I know it got there and try to forget about it. What harm could it do? So, I might be out a few bucks if she didn’t like it, but if she did…

In the meantime, I’d kept on querying. And after a really complicated and confused few weeks and another long story got “the call” from a different agent–we’ll call her CF–but she needed to approve it through her partner and asked if I’d wait a few days. I agreed and waited until she called back. Which she did, but she still didn’t answer. She asked if I’d wait a little longer and I agreed.

The minute I hung up I received an email from NF telling me she had LOVED what I had sent her and would I snail the rest to her? The only thing she asked for was an exclusive.

I didn’t know what to do. I was excited, because she was my “dream agent.” So I decided to snail the full to her and then emailed her to let her know I wasn’t able to grant her the exclusive, but I’d let her know if the other agent offered. She replied immediately thanking me and yes she’d still love to read it.

So, I waited another day or so and CF called back and made an offer. However, now I couldn’t make a decision yet. I asked for a week and immediately emailed NF back to let her know about the offer.

She replied immediately and asked since the snail mail full hadn’t arrived would I please email the rest to her and give her a few days to read and respond? I was floored. I hadn’t been expecting that, so of course, I sent it right off and waited. And waited. LOL. That was the longest 4 days of my life.

Then the unthinkable happened. She LOVED my story and wanted it. She offered representation right then and there. After asking a bazillion questions via email, which only confirmed she was my dream agent, I accepted her offer and emailed the other agent, apologizing and letting her know I was signing with NF.

Now onto the information you all have been waiting for. Who the heck did I sign with that would be so great that I’d be this giddy about it. It’s none other than Natalie Fischer of the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency. You know, the agency that represents Amy Tan (Joy Luck Club) and Kate White (Hush)? Yep, that one.

That night Natalie emailed me all her notes and a few days later they sent me the temporary agency agreement to sign and fax back. And then on Tuesday, I received the actual contract and I signed and sent it back the same day.

In the almost 2 weeks I’ve been working with Natalie, I couldn’t be happier in our “relationship.” She is so excited about Mirror Image and she’s always quick to respond and her comments on her notes always crack me up. Not to mention the changes she suggests are usually spot on. The best part is, she “gets” it and is always open to questions.

Personally, I’m looking forward to working with her for many, many years and I hope that the rest of you find an agent that is just as wonderful.

I’m hoping to get her here to do an interview, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to do it. We shall see. 🙂 In the meantime, I’ll keep you all posted on any news that comes my way.

>Congratulations! I just became a fan through Terri McKibben and thought I'd check you out. I am always happy when fellow authors get their break. A positive attitude, which you seem to have is essential for success. Keep up the good work!

>Barbara: Welcome! To both my blog and my fan page! And of course, thank you! A positive attitude is a hard fought thing for me, but around my husband it's an impossibility not to be. He wears positive like a cloak and it's infectious. And now, after 10 years of marriage, being positive is almost as easy for me as it is him. : )

>Thanks, Lynn. Me too. I love hearing success stories and I hope to hear more from my fellow writers soon. And I definitely can't wait to get "the call" about selling the mss. That would make my entire year! Thanks for stopping by again.